UNI wraps spring volleyball season at home this Saturday

UNI Volleyball Spring Tournament

10 a.m. CT | April 23
Cedar Falls, Iowa | Wellness-Recreation Center

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- The spring volleyball season will wrap up for the UNI Panthers this weekend as Northern Iowa hosts its spring tournament at the Wellness-Recreation Center this Saturday, April 23 beginning at 10 a.m. All matches are free and open to the public.

UNI will open up play on Saturday morning against Iowa at 10 a.m., followed by a matchup with North Dakota State at 11:15 a.m. Following a lunch break, the Panthers will square off with Iowa State at 1 p.m. to close the day. A full tournament schedule is listed below.

UNI enters the final weekend of April following a matchup with the defending national champion Wisconsin Badgers last Friday night in Dubuque, where the Badgers edged the Panthers in a 3-1 dual. UNI was able to claim victory in the opening set, 25-21 before Wisconsin swept the next three frames, 25-17, 25-19 and 23-25.

The Panthers also competed in a pair of tournaments this spring at Iowa State and UMKC. UNI went 1-2 on April 2 in Ames, while going 1-2-1 in four, two-set matches in Kansas City on April 9.

THE HAWKEYES

Saturday's matchup will be the second time Iowa and UNI will have played this spring. The Hawkeyes swept the Panthers 3-0 back on April 2 in Ames.
Iowa enters its final weekend of spring action with a 4-1 record, the only loss coming in its previous matchup on April 2 against Iowa State at the ISU Spring Tournament. The Hawkeyes won two matches over Bradley to open the spring season before defeating both UNI and Drake.
The Hawkeyes are coming off a 6-24 season last fall with a 4-16 mark in Big Ten play.
First year head coach Jim Barnes is getting his first look at his team this spring after being hired to lead the Hawkeyes this past December. Barnes brings 20 years of head coaching experience to the Iowa program after previously leading teams at Wyoming, Baylor and Tulane.
Iowa returns leading outside hitter Addie VanderWeide to the roster after 214 kills in 2021. Setter Bailey Ortega also returns for the Hawkeyes following an 838-assist campaign last fall, while Mari Hinkle returns on defense after posting 336 digs.

THE BISON

North Dakota State wraps up its spring season this weekend in its first tournament of the season. The Bison previously played Northern State at home on April 1, with road matches at MSU-Moorhead and Minnesota.
NDSU finished the 2021 season with a 12-18 mark overall, and 6-12 record in Summit League play.
Head coach Jennifer Lopez leads the Bison into action after concluding her 5th season as head coach in Fargo with a record of 63-71.
The Bison return three key players from its 2021 roster including Ali Hinze, who led NDSU in kills (370) and service aces (28), while also posting 291 digs. Setter Kelley Johnson recorded the second highest assist total for the Bison last fall (302), while Michelle Glover returns as NDSU's leading blocker after notching 98 total blocks last season.

THE CYCLONES

Iowa State and UNI meet for the second time this spring in Saturday's 1 p.m. matchup. The Cyclones were victorious over the Panthers in a 2-1 win at the Iowa State Spring Tournament on April 2.
ISU concludes its spring season this weekend in Cedar Falls. The Cyclones opened spring play up with a 3-0 win over Omaha, while also hosting a home tournament in Ames and visiting Kansas City two weeks ago for the UMKC Tournament.
The Cyclones finished 16-12 and 8-8 in the Big 12 last season, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament for the 14th time in the last 17 years. ISU fell to #18 Stanford in the opening round in four sets.
Head coach Christy Johnson-Lynch will enter her 18th season at the helm of the Iowa State program this coming fall. The Cyclones have reached postseason play 15 times under her leadership, which has included 14 NCAA Tournament berths and the 2018 NIVC championship.
Eleanor Holthaus returns for the Cyclones after leading ISU with 291 kills last season. Holthaus also notched 234 digs and 68 blocks last fall.
Setter Jaden Newsome will return for another season for the cardinal and gold after notching a team-high 1,000 assists in 2021, as well as 24 service aces.

COMPLETE TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

10 a.m. - UNI vs. Iowa (Court 1)
10 a.m. - Iowa State vs. North Dakota State (Court 3)
11:15 a.m. – UNI vs. North Dakota State (Court 1)
11:15 a.m. – Iowa vs. Iowa State (Court 3)
12:15 p.m. – Lunch Break
1 p.m. – UNI vs. Iowa State (Court 1)
1 p.m. – North Dakota State vs. Iowa (Court 3)

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